It’s an ‘open’ and shut case, Mahela

There’s no point trying to keep something under the wraps when everyone knows about it. Mahela Jayawardene tried something similar, and the attempt, as expected, fell flat.

Who will open the innings is a foregone conclusion when there’s Virender Sehwag and David Warner waiting to pad up in any team. The Sri Lankan skipper, however, tried to make a secret of it, saying they haven’t taken a call on this and would like to keep the Kolkata Knight Riders guessing. Well, it’s not going to leave even a layman bemused, leave alone their opponents.

Jayawardene too has been a revelation at the top (though he's yet to make a big splash this season), but the other two are much more dangerous and destructive, and more suited for the opening job.

The doughty Warner made it pretty much clear the other day when he said, “I am pretty sure I'll be opening with Viru and will try to continue the success we have had in previous years.”

Apart from that lame attempt, Jayawardene was his astute self. Asked if they had peaked too early and were under pressure to keep their top spot, he just laughed it away.

“For me, that's a very pessimistic way of looking at things. I would want to be on the top rather than elsewhere, struggling to reach the top. We are very happy where we are right now.”